attaching layed up walnut top to cases

[Scott Welty]

I am planning on laying up a walnut top to span these two base cases. Top will be 5/4 and about 5 5" boards. What's a good way to attach to allow for any wood movement across the grain? '
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[glenn bradley]

I prefer heavy gauge figure 8 connectors (not the stamped ones). There are other methods of course but, the figure 8's are small and can be installed in flexible and sometimes awkward locations.

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[Keith Hankins]

There are many ways to skin that cat, but figure 8's work great, or routing a grove it the side rails and make wooden blocks that have a lip that slide into the grove in the side, and then screw into the top. You could do cross members with counter bored holes that are elongated then screw in so the top can move a little.

Those are just a few.

[John TenEyck]

I'm cheap so I don't buy anything. I usually run a piece of stock about 3" wide from front to back at the top of each end panel; think of the rails in a webframe. The rail helps stiffen the side of the cabinet, and it also provides a convenient means to attach the top. I screw up through that rail into the bottom of the top. If I want the top to expand/contract towards the front then I make the hole in the rail elongated at the front, but not at the back. I use cabinet screws and tighten the one in the fixed hole tight, but only snug the one in the elongated hole.

Other no cost solutions, too, but this one is easy and effective.

John

[Jerry Miner]

I just did that today on a cherry top. I used the slotted hole in a wood cleat method. Table clips or figure-8's work fine, too. (If you use the figure-8's, make sure you orient them correctly. I recently inspected a tabletop--by others-- that had cracked because the builder oriented the figure 8's perpendicular to the grain and in so doing did not allow the wood to move)

I cut the slots with a Roto-zip, but there are other ways.

[Wayne Lomman]

I'm a cheapskate too. Fix the top along one edge and put all the other screws in slotted holes. It's easy, it works and you don't have to buy anything. Also it's the preferred method for all the commercial fine furniture shops I have worked in. Cheers

[Brian Tymchak]

fix the top at the front of the cabinet so that it keeps the same profile in the front. let the top expand to the rear.